HBO has become the go to network for quality television series. Within its stable it already can boast of line-up that include Game of Thrones, Westworld, Veep, Big Little Lies, The Young Pope, and Ballers. LAst season they added The Deuce. It is a series set in NYC during the early 70s. It introduces viewers to an up close viewpoint of sex and crime. The beginnings of the porn industry. The beginnings of the big money that comes along with it.
In New York City around 1971-72 the pornography industry is attempting to go big time. Not only looking for money and lots of it, it is seeking legitimacy. On the flip side the police are trying to clean things up before it gets out of hand. They are targeting the Times Square area. During that time it was a dangerous place and law enforcement was looking to clean it up.
Seeing opportunity, a whole host of characters are looking to cash in. Those who have been in prostitution are now looking to get out to the ground floor of the more lucrative porn industry.
The people behind The Deuce are some of the same as behind the excellent cop/drug dealer series, The Wire. That would clue you into the fact that this is a gritty, realistic series. David Simon and George Pelecanos juggle aptly a big cast and plenty of storylines. Tricky, but they show it can be done. And done well. Don’t be put off by the number of characters that come in and out.
You get to see Maggie Gyllenhaal, Zoe Kazan, Ralph Macchio (yeah, the Karate Kid!), Method Man, Michael Rispoli, and (unfortunately, due to the assault accusations that have come out recently) James Franco.
Special Features:
-Digital Copy
-The Deuce in Focus
-The Wild West: New York in the Early 70s
-Audio Commentaries